The Trump administration is urging the Supreme Court to pass on a case challenging the Obama administration's critical habitat designation for the polar bear.

In a brief, the Justice Department rejected the arguments made by Alaska and oil and gas interests in their petition to the high court, including that the habitat designation was too large and would be too costly.

At issue is the Fish and Wildlife Service's 2010 designation of a 187,000-square-mile area as critical habitat for the polar bear. That habitat was made up of three units — sea ice, dens on land and barrier island territory — with sea ice making up nearly 96 percent of the total area.

The state of Alaska, the Alaska Oil and Gas Association, and the American Petroleum Institute each petitioned the Supreme Court to take up the case shortly before the November election.

In its response Friday, DOJ faulted the groups' underlying basis for bringing the petition.

Instead of focusing on legal arguments, DOJ said, they focused on why the designation of critical habitat is "overly burdensome" and the accounting of costs and benefits — issues that "are properly directed to Congress rather than this Court."

DOJ also rejected the argument that the critical habitat was unjustifiably large, saying that neither the statute nor regulations put a limit on how big a designation can be. Petitioners' argument that FWS cannot designate areas near human development is also flawed, DOJ said.

The brief also defended the administrative record and scientific evidence backing the decision.

"The best available data show that polar bears regularly use huge and variable areas as part of their life cycle," the government brief says.

FWS adequately considered the economic impacts of its actions, DOJ further argued.

Alaska's assertions "about the costs of the designation have no support in the record," the brief says.

Last week, the Center for Biological Diversity, Greenpeace and the Defenders of Wildlife also urged the high court to reject the case.

"Marco Rubio is a choke artist, sweating all over the place. He was soaking wet, like he just came out of a swimming pool. We can't have that as a president". -Donald Trump

The Trump administration is urging the Supreme Court to pass on a case challenging the Obama administration's critical habitat designation for the polar bear.

In a brief, the Justice Department rejected the arguments made by Alaska and oil and gas interests in their petition to the high court, including that the habitat designation was too large and would be too costly.

At issue is the Fish and Wildlife Service's 2010 designation of a 187,000-square-mile area as critical habitat for the polar bear. That habitat was made up of three units — sea ice, dens on land and barrier island territory — with sea ice making up nearly 96 percent of the total area.

The state of Alaska, the Alaska Oil and Gas Association, and the American Petroleum Institute each petitioned the Supreme Court to take up the case shortly before the November election.

In its response Friday, DOJ faulted the groups' underlying basis for bringing the petition.

Instead of focusing on legal arguments, DOJ said, they focused on why the designation of critical habitat is "overly burdensome" and the accounting of costs and benefits — issues that "are properly directed to Congress rather than this Court."

DOJ also rejected the argument that the critical habitat was unjustifiably large, saying that neither the statute nor regulations put a limit on how big a designation can be. Petitioners' argument that FWS cannot designate areas near human development is also flawed, DOJ said.

The brief also defended the administrative record and scientific evidence backing the decision.

"The best available data show that polar bears regularly use huge and variable areas as part of their life cycle," the government brief says.

FWS adequately considered the economic impacts of its actions, DOJ further argued.

Alaska's assertions "about the costs of the designation have no support in the record," the brief says.

Last week, the Center for Biological Diversity, Greenpeace and the Defenders of Wildlife also urged the high court to reject the case.

Ja, mooie witte dieren. Maar over de bruine beer hoor je hem niet.

I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me.

I’ve been reading a lot on Facebook about the rust belt and all the union coal mining jobs that are leaving as if it’s some kind of a bad thing. Nobody I know has ever had a paid internship, much less a union job, and they are making it just fine. Maybe instead of freaking out about lost mining jobs, unemployed coal miners should just get with today’s economy and start Etsy shops.

My friend Karen has an Etsy shop. She sells pillows! Maybe some of the miners could open up pillow shops like Karen. Karen’s pillows have cute animals stitched on them or scenes from Star Wars. Her best seller is a pillow with Darth Vader and the words, “The Empire Strikes Nap.” I don’t see her complaining about environmental regulations, she’s just pulling herself up by her knitting needles and taking advantage of this land of opportunity.

Coal miner-made pillows with fun references and puns on them, like, “be mine” or something would be really popular with the coal miners who still have jobs. It’s an untapped market, if you ask me.

If laid off coal miners don’t want to make pillows, there’s plenty of other Etsy potential for them. Maybe they could carve something out of rock? I bet that really plays to their skills. Or they could just take apart their old tools and glue the pieces onto jewelry. Steampunk is a big deal and I think that would do pretty well. These whiny coal miners just have to be willing to adapt.

Coal Whiners

I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me.

This isn’t a function of poll numbers, or the Russia controversy, or any other melodrama of the past three months, but something more fundamental: No officeholder in Washington seems to understand President Donald Trump’s populism or have a cogent theory of how to effect it in practice, including the president himself.

quote:

If things continue to go badly, it’s easy to see Trump turning to the New York Democrats in his White House. This would entail less emphasis on trade and immigration and fights with the mainstream media, and more emphasis on a nonideological economic boosterism. The loose antecedent for this scenario is Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who swept into office in California as a drain-the-swamp reformer after winning a populist crusade, and then recalibrated to accommodate the system after suffering politically damaging setbacks.

The range of possible outcomes of the Trump presidency is still wide. Unexpectedly, one of them is that his most die-hard populist supporters will eventually be able to say that Trumpism, like socialism, hasn’t failed, it’s just never been tried.

I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me.

ST. THOMAS, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS—Speaking Wednesday from the grounds of the lavish tropical estate where he plans to spend much of his downtime while in office, Donald Trump unveiled a new presidential retreat he hopes will allow him to escape from the grueling pace of life at Mar-a-Lago.

With its sunny climate, secluded setting, and luxurious accommodations, the 45-acre Caribbean hideaway known as Isola Vista—which sits on a pristine white-sand beach along the island of St. Thomas’ southern coast—will reportedly serve as a haven where the president can find respite from his five-star Palm Beach, FL resort and its many day-to-day pressures.

“After a while, all that time spent at Mar-a-Lago starts to take a toll,” Trump said of the relentless routine of recreation and extravagance he experiences at his oceanfront Florida club. “I’m there so much that sometimes I just need to get away and clear my head. Here in St. Thomas I’ll have a place where I can simply relax and, for a little while at least, forget about all those headaches I left behind in Palm Beach.”

Added the president, “A few days in the Caribbean should be all I need to feel refreshed and ready to get right back to the usual grind of Mar-a-Lago.”

According to sources, considerable efforts have been made at Isola Vista to create a tranquil retreat far removed from the rigorous schedule of golf, fine dining, and spa treatments the commander-in-chief faces every single day he is in Florida.

His stressful days at Mar-a-Lago reportedly begin at 6 a.m. with a breakfast prepared by a Michelin-starred chef, followed by an early tee time at the award-winning Trump International Golf Club. By the time the last wearying soiree at his private club finally winds down, the president is often completely exhausted, aides say, prompting his decision to decamp to Isola Vista for some much-needed rest and leisure.

“It’ll be great to fly down here from Mar-a-Lago and have a little me time,” said Trump, describing how the new retreat will finally let him enjoy some peace and quiet away from his exclusive members-only Florida resort. “The amount of unwinding I’ve done in Palm Beach lately has left me completely drained. Hopefully Isola Vista will allow me to recharge anytime I overdo it at Mar-a-Lago and start to feel run down.”

Following his first visit to Isola Vista, presidential advisers confirmed Trump’s time away appeared to have had a positive effect on his mood and energy level.

“The new retreat seems to have worked wonders on the president,” Trump aide Jessica Ditto told reporters. “When he returned to Mar-a-Lago, he was eager to dive right back into his packed daily schedule immediately and couldn’t wait to get started on the day’s first hot-stone massage.

I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me.